Hot new manufacturing tool: a temperature-controlled microbe

Many manufacturing processes rely on microorganisms to performtricky chemical transformations or make substances from simple starting materials. A study published in mBio today describes a way to control a heat-loving archaeon with a temperature switch: it makes a product at low temperatures but not at high temperatures. The authors say the innovation could make it easier to use microorganisms as miniature factories for the production of needed materials like biofuels.